5tastebudsAotoFinnel
by Raziel the Selkie
Summary: The 5tastebuds prompt from livejournal for AotoFinnel
1. Chapter 1

**Bitter**

Finnel claimed that she had a surprise for Aoto. When Aoto inquired as to what exactly the surprise was, Finnel remained tight-lipped about it. Aoto simply scratched the back of his head, before he shrugged his shoulders, letting Finnel do whatever she pleased. Still, Aoto hoped that Finnel wouldn't hurt herself; Finnel was notorious for her clumsiness, though Aoto had to admit it was rather endearing, in a way. Tomboyish Finnel who charged ahead without thinking, clumsy Finnel who had no sense of direction or the quiet grace that Saki had, crybaby Finnel who hated herself for being weak and tried her hardest to act tough when she was actually falling apart. As Aoto had delved through several layers of her Cosmosphere, he experienced an intimacy that was not unlike sex, and a bond had formed between them as Aoto tirelessly fixed the cracks in her Cosmosphere.

While Aoto reminisced about those moments spent together, Finnel set out a covered dish in front of Aoto. Aoto blinked in surprise, imaging that there was a funny smell coming from the concealed meal. He was about to make a comment about it until he noticed Finnel nervously fidgeting with the ribbon on her left sleeve, her gaze downcast and a pale pink blush covering her cheeks. Aoto looked from Finnel, and then to the covered plate. So this was probably the surprise that Finnel prepared for him. For a moment, Aoto imagined Finnel crashing around the kitchen, tripping over silverware or cutting herself while chopping vegetables, though he pushed those thoughts aside when Finnel finally spoke up, "T-They say that the way to a man's stomach is through their heart. I mean, the way to a man's heart is through their stomach. I um, I worked really hard on this. I-I'm not a good cook like Saki, but…I thought…"

Aoto simply smiled at Finnel's awkward behavior, before he said, "Thanks, Finnel. I'm looking forward to the meal. Itadakimasu!"

Finnel clapped her hands together, adoration shining in her eyes at Aoto's enthusiasm. "R-Really? Well, eat up, 'cause there's more where that came from. Ta-da!"

She then removed the cover from the plate with a magician's flourish. What lay on the plate had been charred into something unrecognizable. Aoto poked at a stringy piece of the questionably edible stuff, trying to determine what it was. He looked towards Finnel again, who was gazing at him rather expectantly. Even if the meal was burnt, Aoto could stomach it down. He had far worse. Aoto then shoveled the food as quickly as possible so that it didn't touch his tastebuds-it had a rather crunchy texture, and if he ignored the smell, it wasn't so bad. After all, Finnel had prepared a hot meal for him on the table.

Once he swallowed the last few gulps, Aoto leaned back in his chair, folding his arms behind his head and giving Finnel a great big grin. "Not bad. I can tell you put a lot of work into it."

"I-It really wasn't that good, huh?" Finnel said, before she slumped her shoulders a bit. "It was supposed to be chicken, rice, and vegetables."

"Everyone's gotta start somewhere," Aoto said, before saying, "Tell ya what, how 'bout you make me a nice hot meal every Tuesday. It'll give you some time to practice. B'sides, we'll practically be husband and wife! Though, in your case, it would be master and servant."

Finnel puffed out her cheeks, before saying, "Jeez, Aoto, you're so mean sometimes. But I guess it can't be helped. I'll make you meals every day. I can't lose to Saki-chan, no matter what!"

"Yeah, yeah," Aoto said, before a mischievous smile overtook his lips. "Though I have a better idea of what I'd like for dinner."

Upon seeing Aoto's wolfish grin, Finnel blushed a deep shade of red. She continued fidgeting with her ribbon as Aoto approached her, planting one hand against the wall and trapping Finnel against it. There was no room for escape; Finnel had no choice but to submit to Aoto as he closed the distance between them with a kiss.


	2. Chapter 2

**Salty**

Finnel didn't know how long she could keep on smiling, pretending that nothing was wrong. Even though she practiced smiling even when she hurt inside for so long, her other personas were perceptive of her true emotions. Then again, they were facets of herself, separate personalities that she created in order to cope with an unstable mind. The memories of darkness, humiliation, and loneliness…they would always be a part of her. She would never escape from her depressingly persistent bad luck. Finnel was destined to remain in misfortune, and eventually, she will be all alone again.

"Finnel," a voice said, causing her to turn around in surprise. "What're you doing out here all by yourself? Everyone was wondering where you were; we were all worried."

Finnel stared at Aoto for a moment, before she mustered up the brightest smile that she can manage. "Hey, I'm fine! I mean, I was just out taking a walk, there's no need for anyone to worry-"

A hand gently caressed her cheek. "You're crying."

Finnel wiped a hand across her eyes and found that she had been crying, to her surprise. She was so stupid for breaking down like this-she should be used to this by now. Someone like her didn't deserve happiness; she was a bad girl, and bad girls deserved to be punished. She wanted to tell Aoto that she didn't deserve her friends, that she didn't deserve _him_, but she couldn't voice any of these thoughts and she simply wrapped her arms around Aoto's steady shoulders, trying to hold her tears in. Yet when Aoto returned her embrace, she found the tears flowing freely.

Finnel sobbed lightly into Aoto's chest. He must've thought of her as a big crybaby; clumsy Finnel must've looked stupid breaking down out of nowhere. Yet somehow…Aoto seemed to soothe her fears with a word or a touch. He lightly tilted her chin so that she was directly looking into his eyes…before he planted sweet kisses on her cheeks. He showered her face in kisses, tracing the paths where the tears have fallen, kissing them all away.

"Aoto…" Finnel said softly, resting a hand against Aoto's chest gently. "Thank you."

Aoto planted a soft kiss on her lips, before he pulled back gently. "You haven't let me all the way in yet, Finnel. If you're afraid that I'll hate you for knowing the real you, then you're dead wrong. I'm here for you…okay?"

Finnel nodded. "Yeah. I know. I just…"

"Ssh…" Aoto whispered, before he kissed her again, soft and sweet. Finnel felt the stirrings of emotions that she never felt before-it came through her in a powerful rush, something almost cathartic. She closed her eyes, melting into the kiss. Even if she was a bad girl who deserved her terrible misfortune…she should at least be allowed this one small chance of happiness.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sour**

Finnel couldn't believe what she saw. She meant to speak with Aoto for one of their nightly conversations, but as of late, Aoto visited her less frequently and seemed to be spending more and more time with Saki. Finnel decided that she would check out what Aoto was up to; he apologized for not seeing her as often and promised that he'd be able to talk with her again soon. Yet Finnel needed to put her mind at ease. She wanted to know something for sure.

One night while Aoto was talking with Saki, Finnel hovered just outside the door, cupping her ear against the wood. She heard some snatched pieces of conversation, which seemed innocuous enough. Finnel then scolded herself for being jealous; Saki was her friend, and Finnel knew that Saki also had romantic feelings towards Aoto. Aoto had been fair to both of them, showing no favoritism towards one or another. Even so…

Finnel heard shuffling behind the door, and Finnel grew suspicious. Just what exactly were those two doing anyway? Maybe it wouldn't hurt to take a little peek inside…

Taking a deep breath, Finnel then slowly turned the knob so that a sliver of light shone out into the hallway. Finnel then focused her gaze between the crack, and her eyes widened. She saw Aoto and Saki kissing one another. Or more like Saki was kissing Aoto, but Aoto sure wasn't resisting Saki's kiss. Before Finnel could see what else happened, she ran down the hallway and into her room, uncaring if anybody else heard her.

Finnel made her way into her room, throwing herself onto the bed and grabbing fistfuls of the sheets, burying her head into the pillow to stifle her sobs. Stupid Aoto. Saki might have been the one kissing Aoto, but Aoto didn't have to act like he enjoyed it or anything. Finnel heard the dark undercurrents of Soma's thoughts, and she repressed them before they could come to surface. Even if that idiot Aoto hurt her, she wouldn't let Soma come out and hurt him. She loved Aoto, and she loved Saki like the sister she never had. If Aoto and Saki were meant to be together, then Finnel would try to be happy for them, even if she hated the sight of them locking lips with one another.

Stupid, she was so stupid. Wasn't it the natural order of things for Finnel to be unlucky? She was destined to be alone…as Soma always reminded her in the dark recesses of her mind. She didn't want it to be true, but the core part of her refused to let Finnel experience any form of happiness, even if it was a slight touch or glance from Aoto. Aoto, the one that she had her first time with, allowing him to Dive inside her. Maybe it was selfish of her to want more than she can have. She wasn't allowed to have happiness or freedom-maybe this was her punishment for being a bad girl.

Finnel heard a soft knock at the door. She buried her face deeper into the pillow. She couldn't let Aoto see her like this. "Aoto, you idiot! Go away!"

"Don't be like that, Finnel. It was all a misunderstanding!"

"You kissed Saki. That's the only thing I need to know. T-That you like Saki better than me. So go…go away and be happy with Saki and leave me here to die!"

Aoto let out a sigh, before he opened the door and came inside. "I'm sorry for everything. I shouldn't have stopped our nightly talks. I've been neglecting you. I feel terrible about it."

"There's no need," Finnel said while mumbling into her pillow. "You like Saki more, obviously, so…"

Aoto ran a hand through his hair. "I like Saki, but I like you too, Finnel. Y'see, I'm in a tough situation here, being part of a love triangle and all. But if it makes you feel any better, we…haven't gotten any farther than that."

"Are you saying that you can't choose between us?" Finnel said, finally sitting up and hugging her pillow to her chest. "Are you leading us on? F-For me, it's one thing, but with Saki-chan…"

"I'm probably not going about this the right way," Aoto said. "It's unfair to both you and Saki. I can't choose. But y'know…maybe I'm not really ready for a relationship just yet. I probably need to step back and grow up a bit before I can love someone with all my heart. But Finnel…do you remember when I dove into you the first time? Do you remember all the levels I went through in your Cosmosphere? Those were moments between us, and only us."

"Yeah, I remember…" Finnel said, wiping away the last of her tears. "H-Hey, you know…when do you think that you will be ready?"

Aoto considered for a moment, before he shook his head. "I really don't know. I have to think about it carefully, because I don't want to hurt you or Saki."

"Then…" Finnel said, crawling on the space of the bed and leaning towards Aoto. "Kiss me, Aoto."

Aoto reddened slightly, seeming hesitant at first, before he leaned forward and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. Finnel closed her eyes, enjoying this small, kind gesture that Aoto gave to her. Aoto may be an idiot sometimes, but he tried his hardest to make the both of them happy. After a long moment, Finnel pulled back slightly, her cheeks blushed a pretty pink. "H-How was it? Did you…was it like with Saki-chan?"

"It was nice," Aoto said. "I promise that I will talk with you more often, Finnel. I won't neglect you again."

Finnel smiled, wrapping her arms around Aoto and resting her head against his chest. "Even if it's just for one night…it'll be nice if we can pretend that we're lovers."


End file.
